Improvement in fire-boxes of locomotives



UNITED STATES PATENT' OFFICE.-V y

CYRUS DEAN, OF ST. CATHARINES, CANADA WEST.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-BOXES OF LOCOIVIO'TI'VE'S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,743, dated December 1, 18,63.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, CYRUs DEAN, engineer, of the town of St. Catharines, in the county of Lincoln and Province of Canada West, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Construction of Furnaces or Fire-Boxes of Locomotive-Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of the furnace or lire-box. Fig. 2 is also a vertical section at right angles to Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan of the mechanism for opening and closing the dampers.

The nature of this invention relates to making the bottom of -the fire-box solid or panlike-that is, without grate-bars or openings through the bottom-so that the live coal will be retained in the lire-box until wholly consumed; second, in arranging the draft-flues and dampers so that the air will pass over the fire-pan and feed the fire from the four sides of the furnace and at a convenient distance above the bottom of the re-pan, and, third, in the combination of angle-plates with a fire-box having a solid bottom.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

The letters Gr represent the walls of the furnace, made of boiler-iron in a common manner, with a water-space between the two walls.

A represents a solid iron plate, which forms the very bottom of the furnace. lt is made sufficiently dishing or concave to receive within it a separate and removable fire-pan or secondary fire-box. Draft-lines are made through this bottom plate, which are indidicated at the point of the arrows l.

B represents a removable lire-pan or secondary fire-box, made dishing or pan-like in form. It is made solid, without openings or grate-bars, and is fitted to set within or upon the concave of the bottom plate A, so that the air must pass over this pan in order to feed the fire. An air-space b is left between the bottom of this pan and the plate A. This pan forms the bottom of the fire-box proper, and it being made solid, as before described,

left between it and the fire-pan for the air to l pass, as shown by the arrows 2 and 8. This rim is cast in four distinct plates D and then nicely fitted together. They come in close contact with the inner wall of the furnace, so

that no air can pass outside of these plates. Y

C are angle-plates, and are made in like manner as the horizontal plates or'rim D. They are set upon an angle, so that the fuel will slide down and press together in close contact as it consumes. These angle-plates, or, in lieu thereof, the horizont-al plates D, may be used, as may be preferred. Only one kind is used at the same time.

E represents the dampers, which are placed over the flues made through the bottom plate A. There are four of these dempers, corresponding to the four llues through the plate A.

H, l, J, K, L, M, N, and 0Fig. 3, represent a series of levers, which are connected with the dalnpers and so arranged that the engineer can open and close the dampers simultaneously, in Whole or in part, at pleasure. They have a common fulcrum, as shown at P.

Q represents a pin, which drops down from each damper in order to form a connection with the series of operatingulevers.

R represents the tube sheet or lines; S, furnace-door.

This improvement effects a more perfect combustion of the fuel used, and hence a greater amount of steam-generating heatis obtained from a given quantity of fuel. The draft may be entirely shut off when the engine is not in motion and the combustion nearly stopped; or it may be partially shut olf on downgrades, when less steam is required. There is no scattering of live coals along the track to waste fuel and endanger property. More steam-power is produced from a given and feedl the fire from the four sides and at a convenient distance above the bottom of the fire-pan, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the angle-plates C with the solid'fire-pan B, substantialll'y as set quantity of fuel, and hence there is great economy and utility in the use of my improvement.

Having novr ,fully described my improvements, What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is" fort-h.

l. fMakinU the nre-pan B solid or pan-like Without grce-bars or openings, for the pur CYRUS D EAN' poses and substantially as described. Witnesses:

2. Arranging the draft-fines and dempers GEO. W. WALLACE,

E so that the air Wiil pass over the fire-pan E. R. FORBUSH. 

